Hesam here, from the Houston MetBlog. I was once again in town for SXSW Interactive. I thought I’d post a “mini-review” of a spa I visited while I was in Austin.

Coming to Austin every year, I notice gradual changes occurring in the downtown area. New shopping areas have been popping up, particularly around 2nd street. The other day, I went with my girlfriend to see the new stores. A few design stores carried some nice decor, but what really caught our attention was milk + honey. I had remembered reading about the place in one of the Austin magazines (I think it was 512), and decided to go inside.

The interior of the spa looked very nice, with a modern, yet earthy feel. The color scheme of the decor was appealing, but not too overpowering. Overall, it looked like very much like other spas I had seen.

However, what caught my attention was the spectacular service. My girlfriend was in the mood to get a pedicure, so we inquired about availability. With it being SXSW as well as the weekend, the man behind the counter informed us that there were no vacancies for that day or the next. We left, disappointed.

As we walk to our car, the guy comes out of the spa, quickly walking towards us. He lets us know that he hadn’t read the appointment book correctly, and that if we wanted to do the pedicure now, there was some availability. I left my girlfriend there, and went back to my hotel.

While I was gone, I thought about trying out the spa as well. School has been stressful the past few months, and I needed some sort of relaxation. I wasn’t looking for just a massage, but something different. After a quick perusal of their services brochure, I noticed there was a “Services for Men” section. From the choices, the Sea Salt Scrub was the most appealing.

With that in mind, I returned to the spa 45 minutes later to pick up my girlfriend. At the same time, I booked my Sea Salt Scrub for Monday. We paid, and then left.

I came back alone on Monday, and after entering the spa was escorted to the men’s locker room. I changed into a robe and slippers, and sat in the waiting room area. The waiting room had a variety of reading material, as well as refreshments. The furniture, while very modern, was comfortable.

I was then taken to a room and the treatment began. A sea salt scrub is essentially an exfoliation method that uses “sea salts” as an abrasive material to scrub away dead skin. The result is healthier, glowing skin. Although the feeling of the salt scrub was a bit displeasing at first, it started to feel really good after a few minutes. I would say that it was relaxing and invigorating at the same time.

The scrub (and wash afterwards) lasted for about 30-35 minutes. After it was over, I moved to another table and was given a 25 minute full body massage. It too was, as expected, very relaxing. However, by that time I was already convinced the treatment was worth the money.

What struck me most about milk + honey was this: usually, when you go to a spa in downtown or some high traffic area, the service is bad or its really expensive. I was surprised to see this wasn’t the case here. Throughout the entire treatment, I was regularly asked if everything was okay and if I needed anything. After the massage was over, I was left alone to relax for a few minutes. I didn’t feel rushed at all. Once I opened the door, the lady who gave me the treatment was waiting for me with a glass of water. It had a very friendly feel to it, and I was very comfortable. I think the comfortableness (is that a word?) of a spa is really important, and something you don’t necessarily get every where.

In all honesty, I can’t think of anything that could have made my experience at milk+honey better. I would have to wholeheartedly recommend this spa to anyone that is coming into Austin from out of town and staying in the downtown area. Business people that regularly visit Austin for meetings or work will find milk+honey to be a gem that’s a close walk away from their hotel. I’m sure there are other great spas out there, and if anyone knows of some place post them in the comments.

At least for me, I know that I’ll be using milk+honey’s services again when I come back next year for SXSW. That is unless they open up a Houston location..

After the panels today at SXSW, I ventured on over to Brush Square Park where there was to be free nuclear tacos and beer.

Considering the fact that I enjoy spicy food, I figured that the whole nuclear taco thing would not be a problem. As I slowly moved up in the line, “WARNING! NUCLEAR TACOS ARE INCREDIBLY HOT” signs were all around. I ignored them for the most part.

Nevertheless, I decided to play it safe and go with one “Hot” taco and one “Nuclear” taco. Yeah, uhmm, bad choice. I could barely eat the hot taco, and I found myself finishing a can of soda in record time. My lips are still burning as I write this. For a while, I felt like I was breathing fire.

I don’t know if nuclear tacos are an Austin thing and if they actually have any restaurants in the area that serve them. If they do, I’d highly recommend that you think twice before going for the “nuclear” flavor.

It’s amazing that so much is within walking distance in downtown. Even though I’ve got my car with me (Houston’s only a mere 150 miles away), I find myself spending less time driving and more time walking due to the fact that everything’s so close. That and the general lack of free parking.

Houston may be the fattest city in the United States, but I’d have to say our downtown food offerings don’t match those of Austin’s. Then again, as I found out today during the Metroblogging meetup, there are apparently alot of Houston restaurants that I haven’t been to, so I could be wrong.

I have to admit that the people that have asked me for money in the middle of the street have much more creative methods than the ones in Houston…

MTV’s Real World Austin is taping right next to my hotel. Whether or not that’s cool depends on how you look at it. I guess it’s nice to have a cop stationed by the hotel at all times though.

You’ve got hills! Damn the flat landscape of Houston!

Per the recommendation of some of the Austin metrobloggers, I’ll be trying at least one restaurant I haven’t heard of tomorrow. I’ve been craving some BBQ, and it appears there’s a really good BBQ place on 8th and Red River (I think?). I forget the name, but I’m sure I’ll find it – this coming from a person that had to spend 45 minutes circling the city looking for the Boldin Coffee House..who knew that S 1st Street and E 1st Street were two different streets?